Box Score

FORT WORTH, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (23-21, 12-10 SAC) dropped the opener of a three-game Sooner Athletic Conference series with Northwood University (28-17, 15-6 SAC) on Friday.  The Knights scored just four earned runs on their way to a 14-11 win.
 
The game did not get started on the right foot for Texas Wesleyan.  Three defensive miscues in the top of the first spotted the Knights a 3-0 advantage.
 
In the bottom of the first, Jake Howeth drew a walk and later scored Texas Wesleyan's first run on a Northwood error.
 
A leadoff walk to Northwood's Jessue Alvarado in the second turned into a run on a groundout from Carlos Contreras.  The Rams got a run back in the bottom of the second with a two-out RBI single from Tyler Kamtz that trimmed the margin to 4-2.
 
In the bottom of the third, Dakota Lee was robbed of a leadoff triple when the field umpire with no angle on the play ruled his shot down the right field line was foul.  After Lee flied out, the same umpire could make no call on a play at first base though he had a good look at it.  The home plate umpire ruled the first baseman had been pulled off the bag and Jose Martinez was called safe.  The next batter, Adam Turpin, ripped a double into the left center gap that scored Martinez all the way from first base.
 
Texas Wesleyan batted around in the fifth inning, exploding for eight runs on six hits.  At one point six straight Rams reached base and scored.  Quavian Lawson cleared the bases and put the Rams on top when he laced a triple into the alley in right center.  The Rams added an RBI single from Joel Rickman, a two-run single from Kamtz and a two-run home run from Howeth to stretch the lead to 11-4.
 
Unfortunately for the Rams, Northwood batted around in both the seventh and eighth innings.  The Knights strung together three straight singles to start the seventh inning and sent ten men to the plate, scoring five runs on five hits and an error before Brandon Kaufman came out of the pen and recorded the final out with the tying run at second base.
 
The Knights were back at it again in the eighth.  Singles from Mason Mullen and and Joee Reyna put the tying run aboard.  Ozzie Gutierrez knocked in a run with a groundout and, with two outs, a Texas Wesleyan error allowed the tying run to cross.  With two outs, Jason Gareri singled through the hole on the left side, and Alvarado scampered home from second with the go-ahead run.  Isaac Maturino then flared a double down the leftfield line that plated two more.
 
The Rams loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, putting the winning run at the plate with two outs.  With an 0-2 count to Kamtz, Northwood skipper Jeremy Kennedy elected to go to Andres Caraveo out of his bullpen, and Caraveo needed two pitches to finish of the strikeout and pick up his third save of the season.
 
Colt Miller (1-0) got the win after working 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk.  Kaufman (1-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs, one earned, on five hits and three walks in 2.1 innings of work.
 
The two teams will complete the series with a doubleheader at Northwood (Cedar Hill, TX) on Saturday.  Game one of that double dip is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.